One More Loss
by liptonrm
Summary: Chloe regrets the life that never was.


Title: One More Loss

Disclaimer: I do not own Chloe or Lana or anything else that is related to the _Smallville_ universe. Al and Miles own it all, those crack-dealing bastards;-).

Author's Note: This was written for sathinks who requested candles and an apartment in Metropolis from voleuse's Chloe ficathon. Please forgive the lateness of this fic, I don't think I've ever had a more difficult time writing anything, ever. Hope you enjoy!

Spoilers: For season three up to the finale and goes AU quickly thereafter.

"No, no, no! Don't you dare do that, you fucking bastard! Get back here! Yes, just like that! Come on, I know you can do it! Come on!" Chloe screamed in frustration as the battery in her laptop gave up the ghost and the screen went dark. She slammed it shut with a sharp click, standing up in a flurry of paper and a soft rip as her legs tore away from the vinyl seat.

Sweat trickled down Chloe's neck, her hair sodden and streaked, her temper frayed. She seized a paper coffee cup and hurled it out the open window, nearly knocking over one of the candles precariously placed on the sill. She wasn't pissed, she was so far beyond pissed off that her anger might as well have been from some distant galaxy. Metropolis wasn't supposed to be like this. Metropolis wasn't supposed to have freak accidents that destroyed the electric grid on the fucking hottest night of the year necessitating the lighting of candles, the loss of air conditioning and frosty beverages. Now her computer was dead and there was no way in hell her story would be ready for tomorrow's deadline. Chloe blindly picked up another cup and threw it. With a smash it collided with the dull brick wall of her studio apartment and shattered.

Chloe swore under her breath and stormed across the room, tripping over a shoe and banging her shin in the process. The shattered pieces of a mug lay scattered on the wood floor and Chloe felt coffee drip onto her hand as she carefully gathered up the larger bits. The flickering candlelight revealed the remains of a stenciled Eiffel Tower causing her to gasp and pull back, cutting a tiny gash in her finger in the process. She sucked reflexively on the wound and suddenly felt like crying. She had been angry, frustrated, sweaty, and hot but now she felt cold all over, frozen in place and she couldn't stop staring as coffee dripped from the wall and splashed onto scattered shards.

Dusty sunlight flickered over the barren walls of The Talon, making Chloe's heart ache just a little bit. No matter how many times she had had to do it, saying goodbye had never gotten any easier. Chloe desperately willed herself to ignore the twisting in the pit of her stomach and the tears that threatened to undo her.

_The kitchen doors swung open and Lana carefully maneuvered her way between them, an over-full box threatening to topple out of her arms. Slowly she lowered the box onto a counter recently deprived of its usual clutter and with a brilliant smile she looked up._

"_I'm so glad you're here." Was Lana's soft greeting. Chloe smiled in return, the churning in her stomach lessening but still there, a persistent reminder of what was coming._

"_I wanted to see you before ..." Chloe strained for what she wanted to say, feeling awkward and self-conscious. "I have to be in court and I was worried that I wouldn't see you before you left." She finished in a confused babble._

"_Me too." Lana replied. She pulled something out from under the counter and came around to stand in front of Chloe; a pink gift bag hanging from her left hand. They stood close enough for Chloe to see how Lana's sad expression drew a few small, pencil thin lines around her eyes that she had never noticed before._

"_It's been a crazy year..." Lana began._

"_Aren't they all?" Chloe interrupted, smiling mischievously, praying that she could break the somber mood._

_Lana smiled back, amusement flickering across her face. "Yeah, pretty much." She agreed with a laugh and quickly sobered. "I just wanted to thank you. It's been a hard time and even though we argued and disagreed you never made me feel unwanted in your home. You've been a better friend then I ever hoped for and I'm..." Lana hesitated, unsure of what she wanted to say. "Thank you, just, thank you for everything, for being my friend and my family."_

"_And at least I haven't gone crazy and tried to kill you." Chloe responded, tears in her eyes and laughter in her voice._

"_You get bonus points for that one." Lana agreed with a choked giggle. "Here, I got this for you." She held out the bag and Chloe grasped it, a wry smile lighting up her face when she looked inside._

"_A coffee cup." She said, pulling it out of the bag. "You sure do know the way to this girl's heart."_

"_After all of the mochas I've served you, I definitely should." Lana snidely replied. "And, it has the Eiffel Tower on it, so now I know that every time you drink your coffee you'll think of me, no matter where you go."_

"_Now I'll never be able to forget you." Chloe groaned with an amused smile. "You'll be thousands of miles away and I'll still worry about whether you stole my lipstick."_

"_You can't get away from me that easily." Lana gleefully threatened. "And I'd never steal your lipstick, it's the wrong color." She reassured as she pulled Chloe in for a hug. _

_Chloe grinned happily and hugged her back, careful to not drop her new mug._

Blue eyes blinked as tears ran unheeded down a tired face. Slowly, Chloe leaned forward and grasped a ceramic piece. She cradled it carefully in her hands and felt as if she were dreaming as she stared down at it. Memories faded and she was left with were questions, visions of familiar dark haired girls wandering the streets of Paris, safe and happy and carefree for the first time in her life. Chloe desperately wanted to believe that was the case, that it was happiness that had caused Lana's silence, had affected her disappearance from her old life. Chloe closed her eyes and sighed, regretting a life that never was.


End file.
